Who is this phone for?
I have to admit that when Sony introduced a phone with a 21:9 aspect ratio, I was very skeptical of their decision like no other. An oddly oversized frame, many people scoff at it, or at least, the phone looks unnaturally long.
While the industry hasn’t officially said anything, it’s been kind of following that long-running trend quietly, and you can notice it if you look around. More and more smartphone companies are adopting the 20:9 or 20.5:9 wide aspect ratio; some even rolled out phones with 21:9 screens.
And since it’s a ratio that’s long been recognized by the industry (21:9 is the cinematic ratio), it didn’t take long for content creators to adapt. In other words, Sony is the one who set the market trend this time, whether you can ignore it or try to deny it, but at least they saw what was to come.
I say this because the Xperia 5 II is one of those phones with a steady design, and it somehow still manages to deliver, like, surprisingly premium things. If you’re after a top-tier flagship that sits nicely in your palm, this is an easy to operate smartphone, it has comparable performance too, but obviously the flagship version comes with a bigger screen.
Design and display
The Sony Xperia 5 II is a completely different “monster” from its predecessors. It doesn’t cut down on anything that might detract from the user experience. The 158 x 68 x 8mm dimensions aren’t that small, but narrowing the sides and elongating the width offers a huge benefit: a very comfortable grip.
It fits neatly in the palm of your hand, very comfortable to use. You don’t have to try to reach for the characters and symbols at the edge of the screen. You also don’t need to reach down to the bottom of the screen too much. Of course, because of the 21:9 aspect ratio, it is impossible to reach the top of the top half of the screen; however, now where to find a smartphone that can easily reach the top?
The overall size makes the device fit in hand and easily slips into the pocket. It is much more comfortable than many other smartphone models when traveling and driving daily.
As usual, the phone uses an industry-standard design, of two panes of glass pressed into a metal frame. The frame is extremely sturdy and the glass panels are also very seamless. Xperia 5 II also has the familiar IP68 water resistance standard.
The OLED screen comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, which helps you scroll in a more smoother way than the typical 60Hz. The touch sampling rate reaches 240Hz too, so the operation feels like its pretty much instant , and it is especially good for gaming. What about actual use? I can guarantee that its experience is great. You get a bright screen and comfortable viewing angles, and two-color reproduction modes to choose.
Performance
In daily use, the machine runs quickly and smoothly as expected from the numbers on paper. There’s no freeze no lag , no delay when it comes to operation. I played Asphalt 9 on the Xperia 5 II, and it ran very smooth. I didn’t notice any frame drops , and the 21:9 aspect ratio also made the whole experience feel more comfortable to me.
With Game Enhancer software, Sony has developed optimized tools for gamers with everything from refresh rate to motion blur. In short, this is a “monster” in terms of performance features, and if you are a person with high gaming needs, you should consider it.
Battery life
It’s got a 4,000mAh battery though the overall footprint is still more compact than the Xperia 1 II. Sony claims it rearranged the inside parts so it can host a bigger cell, and from what we saw, the “right” software with tweaked hardware basically gave the expected dream results… somehow, it just works.
In day to day use I regularly get over 8 hours of on screen time per day, which is enough to take you from after breakfast straight through bedtime. Most of the time it keeps 25% or more, so I can stretch it until noon the following day. With the display set at 60Hz, things are pretty steady. However, if you switch to 120Hz, you’ll notice the battery life drops much faster
From my own experience, going 120Hz brings the screen time down to around 7 hours, and near the end of the day the device is usually just under 10% before I put it aside for the night. That’s still pretty solid, it’s one of those long-day friendly situations.
Charging speed is a whole other thing. Sony says there is 21W fast charging, but the charger that comes in the box caps out at 18W . In our testing, the phone reaches 50% in about 30 minutes. Going all the way to 100% , from nearly empty, takes more than 90 minutes, so yeah it is kind of a different picture than what the marketing implies. Also, small heads up: this model doesn’t support Qi wireless charging, unlike the Sony Xperia 1 II.
Software
Sony’s software is almost stock Android. You will only see a slight change in the wallpaper, a few other fonts, a change in the icons. Some proprietary applications of Sony, such as Game Enhancer, Photo Pro, or Cinema Pro, replace the old applications.
While Side Sense is not very useful, Sony has a mode to reduce the screen to make it easier to manipulate. The most interesting is the multitasking interface. It works extremely well on a long screen.
Camera
Sony often sort of disappoints with its smartphone cameras. With the Xperia 5 II, you get two apps for capturing photos, one is the usual camera , and the other is Photo Pro which basically borrows the interface from the well known Alpha mirrorless camera series. A lot of first-time users will feel a bit lost, and honestly they may not know what they should press or where to start.
Sony kept the normal camera app consistent for years, so you wont take long to get used to it. It gives you two main modes for shooting stills and also recording video, with settings that feel familiar if you’ve owned previous Xperia phones.
Photo Pro on the other hand works best in the hands of people who actually know photography, and it helps a lot if you’ve already used Sony’s Alpha lineup. This app is pretty capable, with lots of refinement controls and fine-tuning, but you really do need to understand what each thing does, otherwise it’s just buttons and sliders.
In general, the image quality on the Xperia 5 II is pretty solid. There’s also that whole film vibe, and it can come out as either good or bad depending on what you like. I’m not really trying to brag or anything but it reminded me of Kodakchrome, kind of that same subdued feel. The color tone and the grain structure were what pushed me there. The photos usually feel warm, and the colors stay fairly natural, not forced too high, not overly saturated.
The white balance is slightly yellow, while sharpness is reduced. I like the way it looks like this. The HDR effect should have been a bit better. It didn’t pull as much detail in the bridge shots as I would have liked.
Regarding filming, if you are not too knowledgeable about the profession, you should use a traditional camera. Cinema Pro is complicated, and it’s not fun at all. It allows you to control all the shooting parameters, but you will not know what you are doing unless you are a professional videographer.
Luckily, Cinema Pro comes with a feature called “Look,” so you can choose eight color samples that are referenced by Sony, based on their CineAlta VENICE cinema camcorder. I went ahead and tried to record 1080p at 60fps, and honestly it looked pretty great, it felt smooth.
Conclude
Value for sale is the only problem the Xperia 5 II has. With a figure of 950 USD, it is equivalent to Galaxy S20 Plus, Note 20, etc. Of course, the product is great with such a cost, but the pressure to compete with such competitors is very fierce. I wish Sony would bring the price down a bit, like $900.
Xperia 5 II is a compact body but offers a flagship-like experience. It is superior to the OnePlus 8 or Motorola Edge Plus and completely on par with the Galaxy S20; Sony has made a great product this time. It’s not small, but it’s easier to handle and more comfortable to hold than any other high-end phone.
Excellent hardware, with an impressive display and trendy 120Hz refresh rate, water-resistant design with glass back, headphone jack. Performance is top-notch without a doubt, while battery life is absolutely fine. Simple, lightweight software, some interesting proprietary software for you to discover.
In conclusion, this is probably the best Xperia in Sony’s history, when almost every aspect is reached. The only problem is that you have enough confidence to spend money when placed next to other competitors, like Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, in the same price range.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.